Saturday, August 23, 2008

Damn Whippersnappers

Twelve-year-old Amelia Robbins from Mountain Grove, Missouri, dyed her hair pink this summer, after being told by school administrators that it would not be allowed. Last year, she was given a warning for pink streaks, but suspended her when she showed up for class this year with all of her hair hot pink.



A student in my class was sent home last year when he showed up with bright red hair, and even though he never made it past the front doors that morning, it still became a distraction--everyone wanted to talk about his hair. He was a kid who wanted to be the center of attention, 100% of the time, and this was one of the ways he did it.

Since I call myself a liberal, this is usually my "thing", but as a teacher I really get tired of students' sense of entitlement. When this young lady points out exactly where it says in the handbook, "no distracting hair color", yet complains that it is too vague, she is showing her feeling of entitlement. Her pink hair will be a distraction in school, and it is something that should have been done only for summer--as the principal explicitly told her.

On the one hand, I'm proud to see her fight for her beliefs. But I hope she loses this one.

(To be fair, I may just still be bitter about my childhood super-perms.)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

At least I was not the one who dyed your hair orange! And you think YOU had perms? You had none compared to what Lisa & I had to endure as kids. I think it bordered on child abuse, but Granny said we always had the prettiest hair of anyone.
Love, Mom

Anonymous said...

Kevin & Garret, I think my mother just disrespected you.

And Mom, maybe you and I can scan our best perm pictures sometime and let the readers decide!